


The First Christmas

by D_f_m22



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 23:44:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,218
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13111044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D_f_m22/pseuds/D_f_m22





	The First Christmas

The first years in the Vault were tough. 

The first months in the Vault were tougher. 

By the time Missy’s fourth month in the Vault had arrived, the festive season was in full swing with Christmas lights and carols on every street corner. The Doctor couldn’t walk more than five feet without being met by a poorly costumed Santa waving a collection tin in his face or a drunken student draped in tinsel nearly knocking him over. He also couldn’t go five minutes without having Nardole remind him that Christmas was a matter of days away. The Cyborg looked set to explode with excitement while the Time Lord couldn’t wait for the period to pass. 

“What are you going to do for Christmas then?” 

The Doctor frowned up at Nardole and shrugged. 

“Nothing, why would I do anything?”

“River said you used to like Christmas. What happened?” 

“I never liked Christmas. I liked the food and the music and the people.”

“Isn’t that Christmas?” Nardole tutted. “Anyway, a bit of festive cheer might cheer up our friend downstairs.” 

“Missy, her name is Missy,” the Doctor reminded for the umpteenth time. 

“She keeps asking me to call her Mistress,” Nardole said. 

“You mustn’t do that,” The Doctor said, grumbling. 

As he thought it over, the idea of cheering Missy up wasn’t entirely bad. In her first four months in the Vault, there had been very few days where she’d bothered speaking to him or eating or even bothering to move from her self-made nest on the bed. There had been other worse days that saw her worked up in a fit of rage that could last days and made it unsafe for either the Doctor or Nardole to enter the Vault. 

“I wasn’t planning on it,” Nardole said, watching curiously as the Doctor’s face twitched in concentration. “You’re warming to my idea, aren’t you? I know that face. Oh! You’re going to be the Grinch that gave back Christmas!”

“I am not!” The Doctor protested. “Now, where can we get the best Christmas tree from?”

XXXXXXXX

The Vault was cold, as it usually was. A cold Vault in December, though was different to a cold Vault in July. Tutting, the Doctor switched on the space heaters and looked over at Missy. The Time Lady was nestled under her blankets, watching unblinking as the Doctor walked in and approached the containment field. 

“Good Evening, Missy. I’ve turned on the heaters. You need to help yourself, it’s too cold and we both know your immune system is poor after your latest stay in prison. Do you need me to explain how the system works to you again?”

Missy hissed a Gallifreyan expletive and turned away. 

“Ah, are we not talking to me again? Shame, I have a surprise.”

There was no show of interest from the Time Lady and she kicked her legs underneath the blankets and pulled the quilt over her head. 

“Nardole, can you bring in the tree please?” 

The Cyborg shuffled in dragging a small, artificial tree behind him and into the far corner before departing the Vault. The Doctor walked away from the containment field and retrieved the small box of decorations- all Missy-proofed- plonking it down next to the tree. The noise captured Missy’s interest and she turned around as subtly as she could to watch the scene. The Doctor caught her looking but said nothing, starting to empty the decorations and decorate the tree. 

~What are you doing? ~

The Doctor nearly missed Missy’s question, it was telepathic and quiet. 

“Talk out loud, Missy.”

He wasn’t sure if her preference for telepathic conversation was a deliberate defiance on her part or she was too tired to speak verbally. 

“You heard me though, answer my question- what is this?” 

She’s standing now, unable to hide her interest as she paces the length of the containment field. 

“It’s for Christmas. Its Christmas tomorrow and I thought you’d like to help me decorate the tree.” 

“Christmas? The one with turkey and presents and lights?”

“Yes. Do you want to help me?”

The Doctor looks over his shoulder at Missy and catches a wistful glint in her eye that hadn’t been there since she ended up in the Vault. She bit down on her bottom lip and nodded. 

“You do?” The Doctor asked. “Good.” 

XXXXXXXX

The tree was colourful and bright and had captured all of Missy’s attention. Sat on a cushion by the bottom of the tree, the Time Lady fiddled with a bauble eyeing her side of the tree and then the Doctor’s more critically. 

 

“Mine is better,” she said after a few seconds. “Yours has no order, mine has a colour scheme.” 

The Doctor rolled his eyes and passed Missy a hot chocolate with cream on the top. 

“Mine is more original. Don’t be such a control freak.”

Missy sipped her drink and smiled. 

“It’s not too bad I guess. What’s next with Christmas?”

“Well, it’s only Christmas Eve. You’re going to have to go to bed and see if you’ve been good enough to get presents.”

“I think we both know I haven’t been good.”

“You’ve been trying to be good, though. I know you’re trying.”

He didn’t know for sure that she’d been trying, she was too non-responsive to know that for sure, but he wanted to try and encourage her as best he could. 

“I didn’t get you any presents. I didn’t know it was Christmas and you didn’t like my last attempt at a present.”

“You’re right I didn’t. I know you haven’t got me any presents.”

Missy looked back at the tree, got lost somewhere momentarily and nodded. 

“Right, good. Will you stay over tonight…Because it’s Christmas?”

The Doctor took a deep breath and eventually nodded. 

 

“Just tonight, because it’s Christmas.”

XXXXXXXX

Foil wrapping paper is scattered around the Vault like the remnants of a colourful explosion. Missy lined up the mixture of make-up and smellies and a couple of teddy bears.

“I like these the best. It can be company when you’re not here.”

The Doctor sat down next to Missy and pulled off his paper hat. 

“I come down here every day. You barely acknowledge I’m here.”

“I do notice you’re here,” Missy says, pulling in the teddy she’d decided was her favourite and holding it to her chest. “I’ll try harder. I know I need to try harder and I meant everything I said when we were on that island. I am your friend and I do want to try and be good. It’s just harder, to do it for real.”

“I know it’s hard, but we’re going to do this together. I’m going to help you. You know, humans will be celebrating the new year next week. They make a resolutions on things they want to improve over the year, changes they want to make. You could make one to try and engage with this process a bit more.”

“Engage with the process?” Missy drawled, with a wicked smile and attempt at an American accent. “I suppose I could try.”

The Doctor smiled and let out a small laugh at the glimpse of his old friend. 

“Now, scrabble or do you want me to make you a turkey sandwich?” 

“Can’t I have both?” 

“Only because it’s Christmas.”


End file.
